Fireworks Didn’t Cause Palisades Fire, Experts Say; Defense Seeks to Plant Seed of Doubt

‘You don’t have any cameras that show ignition of when the Lachman Fire occurred, do you?’ the defense attorney asked.

An aerial view of beachfront homes that burned in the Palisades Fire as wildfires caused damage and loss through the Los Angeles region in Malibu, Calif., on Jan. 15, 2025. Mario Tama/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES—Explosives and arson experts from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms this week told a jury in the federal arson case against Jonathan Rinderknecht that fireworks could not have been the culprit.

The 29-year-old Rinderknecht is accused of starting a blaze in the Santa Monica Mountains, which investigators say led to the deadly Palisades Fire of 2025.